The Story of the Sand
by Delirium Rex
Summary: The flow of time can be reversed; so too can good and evil. When a man is forced to return to his twisted homeland, he discovers that destiny will bring him to Hyrule, and pit him against a great evil.


_In the vast, deep deserts of Hyrule..._  
 _Long have I served as the guardian spirit..._  
 _I am known as the Desert Colossus..._

The sun rose slowly over the plains, as it did every morning. Dew littered the grass, as the cuccos crowed, signalling that the day had begun. Men and women rose from their slumber, dressed themselves, and began heading outside to greet one another and begin the day's work.

One man lay awake. He gazed at the ceiling of his home, watching as the light of his candle danced upon the wood. He tossed aside the fur blankets and sat up, stretching his back and arms as he stumbled out of bed and dressed himself. He bent down over the bowl of water and splashed it up against his face. It dripped down his cheeks, into his red beard. He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he stood up straight and walked to the door.

Emerging from his hut, the man was immediately greeted by the presence of a woman, lightly armoured in steel apparel. At her side was a scimitar, and her hand rested upon the hilt. He squinted as the sun reflected from her armour, managing to make out her face. "Aveil," he said quietly, still not fully awake. "This isn't Gerudo territory."

"Standing next to the armoured woman was a very thin and very hairy man, whose locks drooped down to his knees. His large nose stuck out, but even an object of that size could not conceal his great moustache. Gathered around, though sensibly far enough away from the three, were the other residents of the small farming community.

"Ganondorf," the hairy man said quietly, as he placed his hand on the brown-skinned man's burly shoulder, "I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do. I-"

"You're time in hiding is over, traitor," Aveil interrupted, giving a glance to the hairy man. He removed his hand from Ganondorf's shoulder, and stepped back until he joined the small crowd. The Gerudo warrior turned back to Ganondorf. "We are acting on the behalf of the Great Nabooru, Queen of the Gerudo. You will return to the mighty Gerudo Fortress with us, to receive the punishment that befits your crimes."

Two more Gerudo soldiers, both as armoured as their commander, stepped forward from the crowd. One had a scimitar identical to Aveil's, while the other held an elegant spear. They stood on each side of Aveil, whose grip tightened around her weapon's hilt. A grim smirk appeared on the brown-skinned man's face, his eyes darting from one warrior to the next.

" _Traitor?_ You have the audacity to accuse me of betraying my people, when your so-called emQueen/em usurped the position from the elders?"

Aveil pulled out her blade several inches, while the warrior to her left fully unsheathed her blade, and the warrior to her right lowered her spear to point the blade at the brown-skinned man. "I will bring you alive, even if I have to cut out your tongue."

Taking a deep breath, the man finally lowered his head. Aveil smiled, returning her sword to its sheath. "Good. Bind him," she ordered. The scimitar-wielding warrior sheathed her blade and pulled cloths from her pouch, approaching the man and grabbing his right hand and pulling it forward. His left hand slowly formed a fist, which he clenched. As the Gerudo reached for his other hand, Ganondorf quickly raised his fist into her forehead, sending her onto her back. With his right hand, he grabbed the hilt of her scimitar and pulled it from its sheath as she fell, turning and raising it in front of him. Aveil drew her blade, while the other warrior thrusted her spear forward. Ganondorf turned to the side and moved back, narrowly avoiding the spear as it shot in-between him and Aveil. He grabbed the wooden pole with his left hand, pulling to the right, bringing the warrior close to him. He let the spear go, turning to the left and bringing the scimitar across her stomach.

The Gerudo warrior collapsed, her blood seeping from the gash on her stomach. Ganondorf held the scimitar up as Aveil's came down on him, blocking her blade with the blood-stained blade of her comrade, who still struggled to recover from his punch. Aveil pulled her blade back, quickly slashing again at Ganondorf, who one again blocked the attack. He brought his blade down, forcing hers down as well, and thrust his head at hers, smashing into her forehead with his own. She pulled back, stunned as he moved his scimitar to his right side, and quickly slashed at her unprotected neck.

Aveil fell to the ground, the gash on her neck too much to cover. The lone Gerudo warrior lunged at Ganondorf with a knife, but he grabbed her wrist and held it into the air. The scimitar plunged between her steel plates, emerging from her back. As the life in her eyes faded, Ganondorf allowed her to fall to the ground.

As he breathed, he looked around at the villagers, who had watched the entire spectacle.

"You fucking idiot!" screamed a thick woman, who held her child's hand. "They were going to leave us alone! Now they'll come back and kill us all!"

"I knew it was a bad idea to let some _Gerudo_ into the village!" interjected a thin, bearded man. "They're nothing but trouble!"

Somebody threw a rock, which hit Ganondorf in the chest. He flinched, though he did not give up his ground. "Fucking demon!" yelled another villager, though he could not see who. The hairy man walked forward, turning to the crowd. "Everybody, please! Ganondorf has done nothing to us, he is our friend! He has worked hard ever since he arrived in our village, and now you are going to turn against him?"

"Bullshit! You were sold him out to the Gerudo! If he was our friend, why would you tell them that he was here?" the fat lady screamed. A tall, thick-bellied man in a vest stepped forward, holding a knife in his hand. "You know what? I say we kill Ganondorf and present his head to the Great Nabooru! That way we can gain her favour and the Gerudo will leave us alone!"

" _Enough!_ "

The crowd was silent. The hairy man turned and backed up to rejoin the crowd. Ganondorf stood, a scimitar sheath now attached to his belt. He held a blade in his hand, though kept it lowered. "I can see that I'm not wanted here in the village. I never have been. If you'll allow me, I will leave, and never return. You may bury these bodies and tell any more who come that they escorted me away."

The crowd remained quiet. An elderly man, whose beard was long and grey, stepped out from the crowd slowly, as fast as his old bones would allow. "I believe that is a fair agreement. I will allow Ganondorf to leave the village."

"Aye," the thin, bearded man agreed, as he spat onto the ground. The other villagers gave disgruntled approvals, and began to disperse. The old man approached Ganondorf, who sheathed his new blade.

"Where will you go? Further West?" he inquired, as the Gerudo man returned to his hut.

"No," he replied, after a moment of hesitation. "I've been here for a just over a year. One year away from my home, and my people. I will travel through the Desert of Mystery and return to Gerudo Valley."

"They will kill you. The Great Nabooru wanted you brought there in the first place. Is it really safe?"

"Of course it isn't safe," Ganondorf said, as he lifted a bag over his shoulder. He had placed some food and books inside of it. He grabbed a canteen, filling it with water from one of his jugs. "It would have been even less so if I had allowed them to take me." He tied the strap of his canteen around his belt, turning back to the old man. "Besides, the "Great" Nabooru cannot hope to defeat me alone. I was the best fighter in the tribe."

"It has been a long time. She could have improved."

"Nabooru? She is too prideful. Could not grasp that there are ways to defeat ancient Gerudo techniques. She is xenophobic and spiteful, much like some of the people here." Ganondorf draped a light cape over his back, pulling a hood over his head. Ancient symbols and markings adorned the cape, including the Gerudo's tribal emblem.

The two emerged from the small hut, where some villagers had returned to take the bodies away. Ganondorf knelt down and retrieved the spear, placing the blunt end on the ground. He nodded to the old man. "You have been good to me since I arrived. As good as you could have been, considering the circumstances. I thank you."

The old man nodded back. "It has been good to know you, Ganondorf. I hope you find a life in your home again."

 _As do I_ , the Gerudo man thought. He turned away from the old man and the village.

Ganondorf walked away from the rising sun.


End file.
